Can I recover aspect ratio distortion (widescreen picture narrowed)?

I've been given a home-made DVD, shot at 16:9 but processed to 4:3. Unknown Windows program - sorry! Everyone is very tall & thin - even car wheels. I want to use iMovie to fix aspect ratio, crop some rubbish & add titles & soundtrack.
Is there any way to stretch the picture to the correct aspect ratio? Wide or standard, I'm not bothered. I extracted the DVD using Open Shiiva, saved as mpeg4, imported into iMovie, but can't find any way to stretch the picture.
I'm OK with iMovie HD, learning '08, used QT Pro a bit. What's the best way forward with this?

I think that's the first time I've been called amazing... apart from by my girlfriend... occasionally... very occasionally...

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How I can correct the aspect ratio?

Hi, I hope you can help me.
I want to resize a 1920x1080 to 1440x1080 video, how I can correct the aspect ratio of HD video without the black bars appear above and below?

The original image is stretched horizontally and I want to fix this by resizing the video output to fill the full frame (4:3) without the lines that appear above and below, Premiere is not allowing me this.
I can do it using video converters but the results do not convince me, do not make the 4 processor cores and cause loss of frames in the video.
So I prefer to edit and convert directly into Premiere.
(I used google translator to write this)

Aspect ratio on widescreen tv - letterboxed

This has been brought up before, and there always seems to be the same answer…'its a setting on the tv/dvd to correct to play 16:9'…I have an SD widescreen anamorphic video that displays on tv as letterboxed and stretched, but yet the main menu of the dvd from DVDSP4 displays perfectly. There is no setting adjustment for display on the DVD. The display setting on the tv is set to 16:9. I'm baffled here. How can the main menu display right but the vid asset is stretched and letterboxed? I worked in FCP6 and exported to QT movie….from there I dumped it into DVDSP4 and created what I thought was a standard 16:9 dvd. Thoughts,…ideas…suggestions?

You also have to mind the display setting on the DVD player appliance.
At home I have an Insignia (Best Buy) DVD player and a Playstation 2. Both of these appliances were originally hooked up to 4:3 TVs, and now they're hooked up to 16:9 TVs. Just to make matters more fun, the Playstation 2 has a setting that applies to games and a setting that applies to DVDs. On the Insignia player, using the SETUP button on the DVD player's remote control, I set the display to 16:9. If I watch a 4:3 DVD on it (such as an old Bresson movie) I just change the TV's display setting (the TV's Dynex, also from Best Buy) and I haven't touched the DVD player's settings in years. Some Hollywood DVDs from 2009 and earlier have the previews at 4:3 and the main movie at 16:9, a mild nuisance.
In short, my advice to you is to make sure that both the TV and the DVD player are on the same page, so to speak, on aspect ratio. If that doesn't work, you might be dealing with a holdover glitch that also affects Windows Media Player; let us know the brand of your TV and DVD player.

Aspect ratio of displayed pictures wrong?

My PC display has an aspect ratio of 5:4 (1280 x 1024). LR uses the full display area but doesn't ensure that the pictures are displayed at their correct aspect ratio. A 3:2 picture actually displays as ~4:3. This is true for all displays of a picture including the slideshow.
Maybe there is a setting somewhere to fix this, but I wouldn't expect so because dealing with the aspect ratio of a screen within a program is really elementary.
(maybe it's just my PC or my ruler that measures differently vertically than it does horizontally)

If you've got Photoshop CS - CS4, you can change the pixel aspect ratio of your photos to .9 DV.
Otherwise, you can right-click on one of the pictures on the timeline and select Open Properties. Then open the Motion settings and uncheck Constrain Proportions for Scale and set the scale for the horizontal to 90%. That should make that picture perfect.
Then right-click on that picture on your timeline and select Copy, then lasso or shift-click to select all the other photos on your timeline, right-click and select Paste Attributes.
Great book I wrote, by the way. Full of gems like this! ;)

Export to Quicktime Movie Results in Aspect Ratio Distortion

All of my original footage was shot in miniDV. I have created a sequence with the following settings:
Frame size: 720 x 480
Compressor: DV/DVCPRO - NTSC
Pixel Aspect: NTSC - CCIR 601
Vid rate: 29.97 fps
Ultimately the sequence needs to go to DVD with a standard 4:3 aspect ratio. To export, I am using:
File > Export > QuickTime Movie...
I have tried using several different settings including:
Apple Pro Res 422 NTSC 48 kHz
Apple Pro Res 422 NTSC (HQ) 48 kHz
Apple Pro Res 960x720 30p 48 kHz
DV NTSC 48 kHz
etc...
All settings yield the same result: a slightly squeezed aspect ratio. At first, I thought that this might simply be the fact that I was playing back files in QuickTime which uses square pixels I believe. But in both DVD Studio Pro and iDVD, the simulation shows the same effect. (By the way, Finder's "Get Info" reads the resulting Final Cut Pro Movie File dimensions 720x486.)
I'm fairly new to FCP so I'm hoping there is something obvious that I have missed. Can anyone explain what I need to do to get the video to DVD without a distorted aspect ratio?
(Incidentally, I have managed to export using quicktime conversion with no problem. But I need the export to be a Final Cut Pro Movie File so as to maintain chapter markers, etc.)
Advice welcome!!!

Hi David, I know this was discussed in you posting already but I just wanted to make sure I had it clear. I have a 4:3 film and I've exported as a quicktime movie with current settings, which should be 4:3 and found that the image when played back in quicktime, looks horizontally stretched. Almost as if quicktime is trying to play it back as a 16:9 image. I think this is the same issue the other fellow was having but I just wanted to be clear. You're saying that the 4:3 image distortion is perfectly normal when played back in quicktime on a computer screen and that the export will look fine when put to DVD or sent to a monitor? I just wanted to make sure because this problem is freaking me out and I don't want to deliver a distorted image to my client. Could you also explain briefly why this happens with quicktime export and not quicktime conversion and what causes quicktime to distort the 4:3 image? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
james.

Premiere Elements 3.0- Aspect ratio of inserted pictures is skewed

I am inserting some pictures into my project that are the exact same size (720x480) as my final video export, however, they are getting squished down in the previews and in the final export, look more like 640x480.
Is there a way I can control this or prevent it from happening?
Thanks in advance!

If you've got Photoshop CS - CS4, you can change the pixel aspect ratio of your photos to .9 DV.
Otherwise, you can right-click on one of the pictures on the timeline and select Open Properties. Then open the Motion settings and uncheck Constrain Proportions for Scale and set the scale for the horizontal to 90%. That should make that picture perfect.
Then right-click on that picture on your timeline and select Copy, then lasso or shift-click to select all the other photos on your timeline, right-click and select Paste Attributes.
Great book I wrote, by the way. Full of gems like this! ;)

16:9 aspect ratio distorts in output

Please help, I am on a tight deadline!
I normally work in only 4:3 aspect ratio. I had to import and use all 16:9 footage today, so I created a new project, highlighted sequence, clicked "Sequence - Settings - and check marked the 16:9 anamorphic square". Canvas changed shape and fit the footage perfectly.
Went to export the file and it keeps squishing the footage so that it appears to be 4:3 ratio and people are skinny and tall with distortion when file is opened.
It is a 9 minute slideshow, so I was just using it in iDVD instead of normal DVD Studio Pro. I made sure iDVD settings were 16:9, but it appears to be the same problem no matter what I change in export setting.
Any ideas how to fix? I need to give this to a bride ASAP. This has to be an easy fix that I'm simply overlooking. Thanks!!!

Thank you,
I take it that QT Player Pro will work with FCP, and not give it problems working together? Is this a reputable free download?
http://www.brothersoft.com/downloads/quick-time-pro.html

Exporting small quicktime, can't preserve aspect ratio??

I'm trying to export an HD project with a 960 x 720 pixel aspect ratio that's about 3 minutes long into a QT that's less than 10 meg.. i've done it a few different ways but i can't seem to keep it letterboxed to 16:9 even though i've checked the preserve aspect ratio box in the export with QT conversion dialogue box... sequence settings i haven't changed.. is that where i'm going wrong?? Help! needs to be submitted for festival by tomorrow!!

If you need the final clip to be 4:3 for some reason, such as posting it to YouTube, then you can get the letterbox bars by nesting into a 4:3 sequence in FCP, or adding letterboxing in Compressor.
However, if the clip will play natively as a QT file, iit can be 16:9 without letterboxing, which has many advantages. The dimesnions I use for this most often are 480x270 That should allow you to get your file down to size at good quality.
Hope this helps -
Max Average

Can't get Aspect Ratio Correct

I just bought PE9. I have an old video that I need to edit and re-do the audio track. The original AVI file is 720X480 from what I can tell but when I open it in PE9, it's narrow.It looks like it want to be 640X480. Everyone looks skinny and tall! I have searched everywhere but can't figure out how to get it to the correct aspect ratio. In the older PE versions there was a set-up screen at start-up but where is it in PE9???
Alex.

Alex,
The DVD will have the video in the MPEG-2 format, wrapped in a VOB container. Depending on several factors, the VOB's should Import fine into PrE 9, with no need to convert anything. This ARTICLE goes into more detail.
Attributes of a video file, are stored as "flags" in the header of the file. These would be FPS, Aspect Ratio (pixel x pixel dimensions), PAR, Duration, etc. When a video file is Imported, the program reads the header, and the flags, and then sets things up to match. However, not all programs write the flags clearly or properly, and the editing program can miss them.
My guess is that something is not proper in the header info of the converted files. Some converters are better, than others. Usually, if this is the case, one can Rt-click on the AV file in the Project Panel, and choose Interpret Footage, correcting anything missed by the editing program. In your case, it seems to be the PAR that is being missed. Maybe use Interpret Footage and force PrE to see the PAR as 1.2 for 16:9.
Even if G-Spot, or MediaInfo sees all the flags perfectly, PrE can still miss them, as it is very strict with the file's header info.
Good luck,
Hunt

Option to keep aspect ratio when scaling pictures

If I place a picture object on the report and change the size or scaling I woul like to have an option to keep the original aspect ratio. I've seen other products that have this feature. I use the ole object with a graphic location value (from DB field) so different pictures may appear based on data. Unfortunately the original pictures are not all the same size so pictures end up skewed when trying to fit.

I meant for this to be in feature request thread. Not sure how to move it there or atleast delete it.

So annoying: Import and Capture FORCING aspect ratio into widescreen

I filmed some stuff in 'cinema' mode on my camera, which creates the widescreen 'effect' in the 4:3 aspect ratio by simply making those black bars. But the video REALLY IS 4:3. Final Cut Pro recognizes that. However, iMovie keeps forcing it into widescreen ratio without cropping it. The result: terribly squashed people who look like oompa loompas and one VERY ANNOYED PERSON. I hate this. Even though the project is 4:3, it keeps doing that. I don't know what to do--it happens with both import from a separate file (captured via Final Cut Pro) and when it is captured in iMovie itself.
ANY HELP???

Check it out: www.mamluftcodance.com/video/071128t41rehearsal-a.mov. The beginning looks normal, the way it should (4:3 with letterboxing creating a widescreen 'effect').
Was actually seeking a sample of your source file to see if I could find a workaround in iMovie '08 as I was unsure whether or not I could simulate your original problem on my own. However, since you provided an output sample, as an intellectual exercice, I manipulated the playback of your file by segmenting the file, cropping the viewing area (which unfortunately included part of your title), re-scaling one segment to match the other (FYI: neither is 16:9 widescreen), and offsetting one to match the other's viewing area. As I was in a hurry, I didn't go back and correct my initial approximations, so some "elements" are still "rough." My guess is that your file was both shot in a "letterbox" mode and flagged as anamorphic -- thus, in effect, appying the "anamorphic stretch" to the already letterboxed content.
Playback Manipulated Version

Aspect ratio distortion when exporting iMovie '08 xml to FCE 4

Hi, I'm working on a small piece which I started in iMovie '08. Now that I have selected all the content for the piece I have attempted to "share" as Final Cut XML. However, when I import that file into FCE 4 the aspect ratio is all out of whack. Does anyone have suggestions about how to resolve, or place to look?
Thanks in advance for the help!

Found the answer here if anyone else has the same problem: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10239568&#10239568

Can't change aspect ratio

My Photoshop Elements 11 has worked perfectly until today. When I open a blank file and go to change the aspect ratio, the box quickly "greys out" and doesn't allow me to edit the sizes. It's incredibly frustrating and I have no idea why it's suddenly doing this. Please help

Go to Edit >> Preferences >> General
Click the button: Reset preferences on next launch.
Then close the program and startup again.

Can you change aspect ratio to any clip??

Hi im an avid user so still trying to get my head around final cut (recently brought a macbook pro) Im wondering whether its possible to change the aspect ratio on one clip within a sequence say 16:9 to 4:3 or vice versa...Its a very easy process within avid but im sure it is in FCP too....
how do yah do it....cheers in advance

Hi
welcome to the forums.
A tutorial would be useful here:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/fakingit.html
G.

Can you lock aspect ratio, define border and image size with automated BatchCropStraighten?

Hello everybody,
I need to crop and straighten a load of scanned rectangular stamps that will start as a single scanned image, and I want to lock the aspect ratio to 1:1, define the top border size (such that the the borders on the sides will be bigger than those top and bottom) and specify the output image size.
Does anybody know if this is possible using the automates BatchCropStraighten function?
Thanks,
Paul

paulsinyard wrote:
Does anybody know if this is possible using the automates BatchCropStraighten function?
I know of no BatchCropStraighten feature in Photoshop. Photoshop has a Plugin CropPhotosAuto that you access through menu File>Automate>Crop and Straighten Photos.
On my windows system its "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2014\Required\Plug-Ins\Automate\CropPhotosAuto.8li". This plug-in is designed to help you scan several image with a single scan. All the plug-in does is to look at the current active document looking for what appears to be a scanned image and to create an additional document that contain a straighten version of the image the size of the image. No files are created nothing is saved only one document is processed even if you had several scans open in Photoshop. When the Plug-in ends the current active document is the last document the plugin created.
You may be able to program a Photoshop script that would fit the create documents to some size then add canvas that would make all the documents have the same Aspect ratio and size. The borders added would be equally sizes on opposite sides top and bottom the same left and right the same. However the image aspect ration inside the borders may vary.
I created a fake scan with five simulated images. Not straight and not all rectangles and duped the document so two would be open the used File>Automate>Crop and Straighten Photos when the process finished I spread out the document so you could see all that are open in this screen capture.

Can I recover aspect ratio distortion (widescreen picture narrowed)?

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